TOKYO: Microsoft Japan Co. said Thursday that it will establish a development base in the western Japan city of Kobe to help companies incorporate advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, into their business operations.

The Kobe base will open around this autumn and will be Microsoft’s first such facility in Japan and fifth in the world after those in the United States, China, Germany and Uruguay.

Microsoft will provide assistance to companies working on digital transformation, with the aim of helping solve social issues and strengthen Japan’s AI market.

The new facility will be opened in the Kobe Commerce, Industry and Trade Center Building in cooperation with a group of Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. and other companies and organizations, mainly based in Kobe.

JIJI Press